i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plant tie for securing a plant limb of the plant to a supporting member such as a plant stake and to a method of securing a plant limb of a plant to a supporting member with a plant tie; more especially the invention is concerned with such a plant tie which permits a limited mobility of the plant limb relative to the supporting member.
ii) Description of Prior Art
During growth of many plants, it is necessary to support a limb of the plant to a supporting member, for example, a plant stake, wire or trellis. This is especially important in plants which have a significant growth height relative to supporting strength of the stem of the plant, particularly under the weight of growing fruit, blooms or foliage which the plant stem supports. Plants of this type include vines such as tomato plants. Typically a limb of the plant, which limb may be the plant stem, stalk or trunk or a branch from the stem, stalk or trunk is fastened to a vertical support stake with a plant tie. Widely employed plant ties include lengths of twine which are wrapped and knotted about the stake and the plant limb, and a stiff but flexible plastic tape which may have a thin wire core.
These widely employed plant ties have the major disadvantage that they resist growth of the plant limb which under normal growth enlarges and they also restrict mobility of the plant limb relative to the stake.
Prior proposals to overcome this disadvantage have been relatively complex. U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,620 Wells et al describes an automatically expansible tie having elements which rupture under tension allowing expansion to accommodate plant growth.
British Patent 14,910 describes a plant tie comprising a strip of metal wire which is coiled or corrugated to permit expansion by opening of the coils. German Patent 536,496 employs a metal band and French Patent 1,287,485 shows a fastening device.
There is ongoing and increasing interest in finding uses for waste materials developed in manufacturing processes, in view of both disposal concerns, including environmental concerns and economic and resource concerns.
In the manufacture of knitted hosiery, for example, pantyhose, tights and stockings, a toe portion of the garment is sewn in a knitted tubular element which generally forms a leg portion and foot portion of the hosiery garment. The sewing of the toe portion results in removal of an end portion of the tubular element, and this remnant is referred to in the hosiery industry as a toe clip. The toe clip is typically a band which in a circular state has a diameter of about 2.75 inches (7 cm) and a band width (relaxed) of about 0.7 inches (18 mm). This toe clip remnant is a waste product which must be discarded.